15 December 2005

Mays Residence and Office


A proposal for a residence and office for Dr. F. G. Mays to be constructed in Washington, Missouri. The project remained unbuilt. From the design, composition, rendering style, and Boyer & Armstrong attribution, I believe it would have been done around 1931. At that time, Boyer & Armstrong were partners.

The residence is shown prominently at the corner, while the office structure appears to be located in the background behind the tree. There is a noticeable difference in style, detail, and composition between the house and office. The house is clearly conceived as the more prominent structure and has received a great deal more attention with respect to detailing, elaboration and expense.

Dr. May's office seems quite unassuming in comparison. Although the horizontal banding running through the office structure aligns with the eaves of the residence, and the windows seem to be of the same type, there doesn't appear to be a strong relationship between the two structures.

This combination of residence and business together is something that Armstrong created for several clients during the course of his career. An instructive comparison, of a comparable date, would be the Wickman Residence and Shop.


Drawing courtesy of the Harris Armstrong Archives, Special Collections, Washington University in Saint Louis.

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